Heineken’s revenue down 5 percent in first half of 2025

The Netherlands | Heineken reported a 5 percent decline in revenue for the first half of 2025, totalling EUR 16.9 billion. The Dutch brewer, on 28 July, attributed the drop primarily to the stronger euro, which reduced the value of its foreign earnings when converted to euros, particularly from markets such as Mexico, Brazil, and Ethiopia.

Trouble brewing at Heineken Austria: PR honcho departs after one year

Austria | At the end of August, Daniela Winnicki, who succeeded Dr Gabriela Straka as Director Corporate Affairs and Press Spokesperson of Brau Union/Heineken Austria, will resign after a tenure of only one year. Brau Union’s fast-spinning revolving doors raised eyebrows and led to chatter about what is going on at Brau Union. The local market leader owns brands like Gösser, Zipfer, Kaiser, Wieselburger, Schwechater, Reininghaus, Villacher, Fohrenburger and Schladminger and sells in excess of 5 million hl beer annually.

Deposit on cans disrupts Austria’s beer market

Austria | Major changes to Austria’s beverage container deposit scheme on 1 January have led to “structural changes” in the beer market. Although there are no data available yet, observers suspect that sales of canned beer and beverages have declined significantly, especially in Austria’s regions which border Hungary and Slowenia. Cross-border shoppers liked to stock up on deposit-free beer. No longer, apparently.

How private equity swallowed the BrewDog Unicorn

United Kingdom | Analysing BrewDog’s 2017 deal with private equity outfit TSG Consumer Partners (TSG) that established James Watt as the founder of a unicorn (a company worth USD 1 billion) and made his fortune, the Financial Times, on 17 July, concluded that the 130,000 or so “Equity Punks” are sitting on worthless shares, unless a generous buyer suddenly appears for the lossmaking BrewDog.

Germany’s Oettinger closes another brewery

Germany | Domestic beer consumption is in decline. And that has consequences. Having shuttered its brewery in Gotha three years ago, the budget beer producer Oettinger is now also closing its brewery in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, the company announced on 21 July. Both sites had a capacity to produce beer and non-alcoholic beverages in excess of 1 million hl each.

United Kingdom | It does not happen often that the CEO of a major listed company resigns three weeks ahead of posting annual results. The departure of Diageo’s CEO Debra Crew on 16 July must have been so sudden – albeit by mutual agreement – that Diageo’s Chief Financial Officer Nik Jhangiani is taking over in the interim as the board searches for a successor.

WHO wants prices on sugary drinks, booze and fags raised by 50 percent

Spain | The World Health Organisation (WHO) is back in the headlines, pushing countries to raise the prices of sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco by 50 percent over the next ten years through taxation. This is its strongest backing yet for taxes to help tackle public health issues. The initiative, dubbed “3 by 35”, was launched at the United Nations Finance for Development conference in Seville, Spain, media reported on 4 July.

BrewDog’s co-founder Martin Dickie enters into medical cannabis

United Kingdom | Martin Dickie, 42, is hoping to become the market leader in medical cannabis, planning to invest GBP 20 million (USD 27 million) into his medical cannabis company over the next five years. Mr Dickie, who founded BrewDog with James Watt nearly 20 years ago, now runs Waterside Pharmaceuticals, the newspaper The Independent reported on 12 July.

Heineken study shows: Sports fans go for moderation

The Netherlands | When you think of Formula 1 and booze, what comes to mind? Most probably the iconic image of podium champagne showers. But a new global study by Heineken unveiled on 10 July suggests that F1 fans are increasingly steering towards a more moderate – and often alcohol-free – way to celebrate the sport.

German beer sales drop nearly 7 percent in five months through May

Germany | Declining demand, overcapacities and price wars are putting Germany's brewers under pressure. According to Veltins brewery, the industry's 6.8 percent decline in beer sales in the first five months of the year is “historic”. “The beer market is currently weakening to an extent that we have not seen since Germany’s reunification [in 1990],” said Rainer Emig, Managing Director of Sales at Veltins on 3 July. Meanwhile, Germany’s third-largest beer brand, Veltins, continued to grow, increasing its total output by 2.3 percent to 1.78 million hl beer.